Wheeled cart with vibration reduction device, and related systems and methods

ABSTRACT

A method includes moving a stabilization device comprising a stabilization surface relative to a base of a surgical cart, wherein the moving comprises moving the stabilization device from a retracted position in which the stabilization surface is spaced from the ground surface to a deployed position in which the stabilization surface is in contact with the ground surface, and wherein the moving comprises overcoming a biasing force biasing the stabilization device toward the retracted position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser.No. 16/860,569, filed on Apr. 28, 2020, which is a continuationapplication of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/577,381, filed Sep. 20, 2019(now U.S. Pat. No. 10,668,633), which is a continuation application ofU.S. application Ser. No. 16/039,599, filed on Jul. 19, 2018 (now U.S.Pat. No. 10,464,219), which is a continuation application of U.S.application Ser. No. 15/126,770, filed on Sep. 16, 2016 (now U.S. Pat.No. 10,071,488), which is a U.S. national stage application under 35U.S.C. § 371(c) of International Application No. PCT/US2015/020911,filed on Mar. 17, 2015, which claims the benefit of priority to U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/954,258, filed Mar. 17, 2014 (nowexpired), each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to wheeled carts that includevibration reduction devices, and related systems and methods.

BACKGROUND

A teleoperated (robotic) surgical system may include a surgeon consoleat which a surgeon may input commands to control one or moreteleoperated surgical instruments mounted to manipulator arms of apatient side cart during a surgical procedure. The patient side cart maybe moved about an operating room, such as to position the patient sidecart proximate a patient for the surgical procedure. One considerationwith such patient side carts is any vibration that could be transmittedto the mounted instruments, such as via the manipulator arms, such asduring movement of the patient side cart. While patient side carts havebeen effective for instrument mounting and minimizing vibrations,further improvements upon patient side carts are desirable. For example,it may be desirable to provide patient side carts with devices tomechanically ground patient side carts and further reduce vibrations.

SUMMARY

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may solve one or more ofthe above-mentioned problems and/or may demonstrate one or more of theabove-mentioned desirable features. Other features and/or advantages maybecome apparent from the description that follows.

In accordance with at least one exemplary embodiment, a patient sidecart for a teleoperated surgical system may comprise a base, a columnconnected to the base, a boom connected to the column, a manipulator armconnected to the boom, and a vibration reduction member. The manipulatorarm may be configured to support a surgical instrument. The vibrationreduction member may be configured to be moved between deployed andretracted positions relative to the base. The vibration reduction membermay engage a ground surface in the deployed position and not be incontact with the ground surface in the retracted position.

In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, a cart may comprise abase, a plurality of wheels connected to the base and configured totransport the cart along a ground surface, and a vibration reductionmember. The vibration reduction member may be configured to be movedbetween deployed and retracted positions relative to the base. Thevibration reduction member may be in contact with the ground surface inthe deployed position and may be not in contact with the ground surfacein the retracted position.

In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, a method of controllinga vibration reduction member of a patient side cart for a teleoperatedsurgical system may comprise detecting an occurrence of a first eventcorresponding to preparation of the patient side cart for a surgicalprocedure. The method may further comprise issuing a command signal toan actuation device to deploy the vibration reduction member to contacta ground surface upon which the patient side cart is located.

Additional objects, features, and/or advantages will be set forth inpart in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious fromthe description, or may be learned by practice of the present disclosureand/or claims. At least some of these objects and advantages may berealized and attained by the elements and combinations particularlypointed out in the appended claims.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory onlyand are not restrictive of the claims; rather the claims should beentitled to their full breadth of scope, including equivalents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure can be understood from the following detaileddescription, either alone or together with the accompanying drawings.The drawings are included to provide a further understanding of thepresent disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitute a part ofthis specification. The drawings illustrate one or more exemplaryembodiments of the present teachings and together with the descriptionserve to explain certain principles and operation.

FIG. 1 is a perspective schematic view of a patient side cart, accordingto an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a plan schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a base ofa patient side cart including a vibration reduction member.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of a portion of a patient side cart witha vibration reduction member in a retracted state, according to anexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows the patient side cart portion of FIG. 3 with the vibrationreduction member in a deployed state.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic partial sectional view of an actuation devicefor a vibration reduction member, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a plan schematic view of a hydraulic pressure system for avibration reduction member, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 7 depicts a schematic method for deploying a vibration reductionmember, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 8 depicts a schematic method for retracting a vibration reductionmember, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 9 depicts a schematic view of a manual release device in a firststate, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 10 depicts the manual release device of FIG. 9 in a second,actuated state.

FIG. 11 depicts a partial perspective view of the manual release deviceof FIG. 9 and an access door in the first state.

FIG. 12 depicts a partial perspective view of the manual release deviceof FIG. 10 and an access door in a second, actuated state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This description and the accompanying drawings that illustrate exemplaryembodiments should not be taken as limiting. Various mechanical,compositional, structural, electrical, and operational changes may bemade without departing from the scope of this description and theclaims, including equivalents. In some instances, well-known structuresand techniques have not been shown or described in detail so as not toobscure the disclosure. Like numbers in two or more figures representthe same or similar elements. Furthermore, elements and their associatedfeatures that are described in detail with reference to one embodimentmay, whenever practical, be included in other embodiments in which theyare not specifically shown or described. For example, if an element isdescribed in detail with reference to one embodiment and is notdescribed with reference to a second embodiment, the element maynevertheless be claimed as included in the second embodiment.

For the purposes of this specification and appended claims, unlessotherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities, percentages, orproportions, and other numerical values used in the specification andclaims, are to be understood as being modified in all instances by theterm “about,” to the extent they are not already so modified.Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parametersset forth in the following specification and attached claims areapproximations that may vary depending upon the desired propertiessought to be obtained. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limitthe application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of theclaims, each numerical parameter should at least be construed in lightof the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinaryrounding techniques.

It is noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims,the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the,” and any singular use of anyword, include plural referents unless expressly and unequivocallylimited to one referent. As used herein, the term “include” and itsgrammatical variants are intended to be non-limiting, such thatrecitation of items in a list is not to the exclusion of other likeitems that can be substituted or added to the listed items.

Further, this description's terminology is not intended to limit thedisclosure or claims. For example, spatially relative terms—such as“beneath”, “below”, “lower”, “above”, “upper”, “proximal”, “distal”, andthe like—may be used to describe one element's or feature's relationshipto another element or feature as illustrated in the orientation of thefigures. These spatially relative terms are intended to encompassdifferent positions (i.e., locations) and orientations (i.e., rotationalplacements) of a device in use or operation in addition to the positionand orientation shown in the figures. For example, if a device in thefigures is inverted, elements described as “below” or “beneath” otherelements or features would then be “above” or “over” the other elementsor features. Thus, the exemplary term “below” can encompass bothpositions and orientations of above and below. A device may be otherwiseoriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatiallyrelative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. The relativeproximal and distal directions of surgical instruments are labeled inthe figures.

The present disclosure contemplates patient side carts for teleoperatedsurgical systems that include features to reduce vibrations in patientside carts. The patient side carts may include systems to facilitatecontrol of the deployment and retraction of the vibration reductionfeatures, such as to automatically deploy and retract vibrationreduction features without commands from a user to deploy or retract thevibration reduction features. Thus, the reduction of vibrations in apatient side cart may be facilitated and controlled without requiring auser to actively to deploy or retract the vibration reduction features.

Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure contemplate acart including a vibration reduction device to facilitate reduction ofvibrations. The vibration reduction device may include a vibrationreduction member configured to be moved between deployed and retractedpositions relative to a base of the cart. The cart may be, for example,a patient side cart for a teleoperated surgical system comprising abase, a column connected to the base, a boom connected to the column,and a manipulator arm connected to the boom. The manipulator arm may beconfigured to support a surgical instrument. The vibration reductionmember engages a ground surface in the deployed position and is not incontact with the ground surface in the retracted position. The vibrationreduction member may be coupled to the base and may be received in thebase in the retracted position. The patient side cart may comprise aplurality of vibration reduction members. The patient side cart mayfurther comprise a biasing device to bias the vibration reduction memberto the retracted position. An actuation device may move the vibrationreduction member from the retracted position to the deployed position.The actuation device may exert a force to overcome the biasing device.The patient side cart may further comprise a hydraulic pressure systemconfigured to supply hydraulic pressure to the actuation device. Thepatient side cart may comprise a plurality of vibration reductionmembers and a plurality of actuation devices to actuate respectivevibration reduction members, wherein the hydraulic pressure systemcomprises a single hydraulic circuit configured to supply the hydraulicpressure to the plurality of actuation devices. The hydraulic pressuresystem may comprise a sensor configured to monitor the hydraulicpressure. The patient side cart may include a manual release deviceconfigured to be manually actuated by a user to release the hydraulicpressure of the hydraulic pressure system. The manual release device maybe configured to actuate a release valve of the hydraulic pressuresystem. The patient side cart may comprise a wheel driven by an electricmotor, wherein the electric motor is locked in the deployed position ofthe vibration reduction member and actuation of the manual releasedevice unlocks the electric motor to permit the wheel to freely rotate.The manual release device may be located in a compartment within thebase, with the compartment being closeable by a door, wherein, when themanual release device is in an actuated state, a stop member ispositioned to block closing of the door.

In the various exemplary embodiments described herein, the cart maycomprise a controller configured to control deployment and retraction ofthe vibration reduction member. The controller may be configured toautomatically deploy the vibration reduction member upon the occurrenceof a first event and is configured to automatically retract thevibration reduction member upon the occurrence of a second event. Thefirst event may be mounting a cannula to manipulator arm. The secondevent may be removal of a cannula mounted to the patient side cart. Thecannula for the second event may be a last remaining cannula mounted tothe patient side cart during a surgical procedure.

Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure also contemplatea method of controlling a vibration reduction member of a patient sidecart for a teleoperated surgical system. The method may comprisedetecting the occurrence of a first event corresponding to preparationof the patient side cart for a surgical procedure and issuing a commandsignal to an actuation device to deploy the vibration reduction memberto contact a ground surface upon which the patient side cart is located.The first event may comprise mounting a cannula to a manipulator arm ofthe patient side cart. The method may further comprise detecting theoccurrence of a second event corresponding to ending the surgicalprocedure, and issuing a command signal to the actuation device toretract the vibration reduction member. The second event may be removalof a cannula mounted to the patient side cart. The cannula of the secondevent may be a last remaining cannula mounted to the patient side cartduring a surgical procedure.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an exemplary embodiment of a patient side cart100 of a teleoperated surgical system is shown. As those having ordinaryskill in the art are familiar with, a teleoperated surgical system mayfurther include a surgeon console (not shown) for receiving input from auser to control instruments of patient side cart 100, as well as anauxiliary control/vision cart (not shown), as described in for example,U.S. Pub. No. US 2013/0325033, entitled “Multi-Port Surgical RoboticSystem Architecture” and published on Dec. 5, 2013, and U.S. Pub. No. US2013/0325031, entitled “Redundant Axis and Degree of Freedom forHardware-Constrained Remote Center Robotic Manipulator” and published onDec. 5, 2013, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety. By way of non-limiting example, a teleoperated surgical systemof the type contemplated by the present disclosure includes one of theda Vinci® Surgical Systems available from Intuitive Surgical, Inc.

Patient side cart 100 may include a base 102, a main column 104, and amain boom 106 connected to main column 104. Patient side cart 100 alsomay include a plurality of manipulator arms 110, 111, 112, 113, whichmay each be connected to main boom 106. Portions of manipulator arms110, 111, 112, 113 may include an instrument mount portion 120 to whichan instrument 130 may be mounted, as illustrated for manipulator arm110. Manipulator arms 110, 111, 112, 113 may be manipulated during asurgical procedure according to commands provided by a user at thesurgeon console. In an exemplary embodiment, signal(s) or input(s)transmitted from a surgeon console may be transmitted to thecontrol/vision cart, which may interpret the input(s) and generatecommand(s) or output(s) to be transmitted to the patient side cart 100to cause manipulation of an instrument 130 (only one such instrumentbeing mounted in FIG. 1) and/or portions of manipulator arm 110 to whichthe instrument 130 is coupled at the patient side cart 100.

Instrument mount portion 120 may comprise an actuation interfaceassembly 122 and a cannula mount 124, with a shaft 132 of instrument 130extending through cannula mount 124 (and on to a surgery site during asurgical procedure) and a force transmission mechanism 134 of instrumentconnecting with the actuation interface assembly 122, according to anexemplary embodiment. Cannula mount 124 may be configured to hold acannula (not shown) through which shaft 132 of instrument 130 may extendto a surgery site during a surgical procedure. Actuation interfaceassembly 122 may contain a variety of mechanisms that are controlled torespond to input commands at the surgeon console and transmit forces tothe force transmission mechanism 134 to actuate instrument 130.

Although the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1 shows an instrument 130attached to only manipulator arm 110 for ease of viewing, an instrumentmay be attached to any and each of manipulator arms 110, 111, 112, 113.An instrument 130 may be a surgical instrument with an end effector ormay be a camera instrument or other sensing instrument utilized during asurgical procedure to provide information, (e.g., visualization,electrophysiological activity, pressure, fluid flow, and/or other senseddata) of a remote surgical site. In the exemplary of FIG. 1, either asurgical instrument with an end effector or a camera instrument may beattached to and used with any of manipulator arms 110, 111, 112, 113.However, the embodiments described herein are not limited to theexemplary embodiment of FIG. 1 and various other teleoperated surgicalsystem configurations may be used with the exemplary embodimentsdescribed herein.

A patient side cart may include one or more device(s) to controlmovement of the patient side cart from one location to another, such aswhen moving the patient side cart about an operating room to prepare fora surgical procedure or after a surgical procedure has been completed.Turning to FIG. 2, a base 202 of a patient side cart (such as patientside cart 100 of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1) is schematicallyshown. Base 202 may include a plurality of wheels to permit movement ofa patient side cart from one location to another. According to anexemplary embodiment, one or more of the wheels may be driven to movethe patient side cart. As shown in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2,base 202 may include a first wheel 210 driven by a motor 211 and asecond wheel 212 driven by a motor 213. Base 202 may further includenon-driven wheels 220, which may be, for example, caster wheels thatfreely move, according to an exemplary embodiment.

The patient side cart including base 202 may include a drive system tomaneuver the patient side cart, as described in U.S. application Ser.No. 14/209,239 entitled “Surgical Patient Side Cart with Drive Systemand Method of Moving a Patient Side Cart,” filed on Mar. 13, 2013, nowpublished as U.S. App. Pub. No. US 2014/0297130 A1, published Oct. 2,2014, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Asshown in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2, base 202 may include twodriven wheels 210 and 212 and two non-driven wheels 220 but the variousexemplary embodiments described herein are not limited to thisarrangement and may include other numbers of driven and non-drivenwheels. Nor is a patient side cart in accordance with the presentdisclosure limited to including a motorized drive control system as setforth in U.S. App. Pub. No. US 2014/0297130 A1, which claims priority toU.S. Provisional Application No. 61/895,249.

The patient side cart including base 202 may include a steeringinterface 230 for a user to drive the patient side cart from onelocation to another, according to an exemplary embodiment. Steeringinterface 230 may be configured, for example, according to the variousexemplary embodiments described in U.S. application Ser. No. 14/208,663entitled “Surgical Patient Side Cart with Steering Interface,” filed onMar. 13, 2014, and now published as U.S. App. Pub. No. US 2014/0316654A1, published Oct. 23, 2014, which is hereby incorporated by referencein its entirety.

During a surgical procedure, vibration may occur within a patient sidecart, such as when components of the patient side cart are actuated andmoved. The vibrations may be transmitted through the patient side cartto surgical instruments mounted to manipulator arms of the patient sidecart, which may cause the surgical instruments to move to a degree. Toaddress this, a patient side cart may include one or more vibrationreduction members to reduce or minimize vibrations in the patient sidecart. As shown in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2, base 202 mayinclude a plurality of vibration reduction members 240. Vibrationreduction members 240 may be configured to contact a ground surfacebeneath base 202, as will be discussed below, to reduce or minimizevibrations, such as vibrations that occur during movement of a patientside cart, and thus facilitate stabilization of surgical instrumentsmounted to the patient side cart. The base of a patient side cart mayinclude four vibration reduction members 240, as shown in the exemplaryembodiment of FIG. 2, but the various exemplary embodiments describedherein are not limited to four vibration reduction members and mayinstead include other numbers of vibration reduction members, such as,for example, one, two, three, five, six, or more vibration reductionmembers.

According to an exemplary embodiment, vibration reduction members of apatient side cart need not be used to affect the stability of thepatient side cart in terms of minimizing or preventing the patient sidecart from tipping or rolling over. Instead, the vibration reductionmembers may be used to reduce vibrations in the patient side cart, whichmay in turn lead to movement of surgical instruments mounted to thepatient side cart. In view of this, vibration reduction members may beconfigured to contact a ground surface, but not to do so with sufficientforce to lift or otherwise move a patient side cart.

As discussed above, the vibration reduction members of a patient sidecart may be configured to contact a ground surface to minimize or reducevibrations. To facilitate maneuvering of a patient side cart from onelocation to another, the vibration reduction members may be retractableand deployable. Turning to FIG. 3, a side view is shown of a base 302and a portion of main column 304 of a patient side cart, which may bearranged according to the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2. Forinstance, base 302 may include one or more driven wheels 310 and one ormore non-driven wheels 320, as discussed above in regard to theexemplary embodiment of FIG. 2. To address vibrations in a patient sidecart including base 302, base 302 may include one or more vibrationreduction members 340, which are in a retracted state in the exemplaryembodiment of FIG. 3, with vibration reduction members 340 not incontact with a ground surface 350 to facilitate maneuvering of thepatient side cart.

Vibration reduction members 340 may be deployed to contact groundsurface 350, as shown in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 4. Thus,vibration reduction members 340 may be deployed or retracted betweenrespective raised and lowered positions with respect to base 302 and theground 350, as shown in the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4. Forinstance, once a patient side cart has been positioned for a surgicalprocedure, vibration reduction members 340 may be deployed to minimizevibration. According to an exemplary embodiment, a patient side cart mayinclude a controller to control the deployment and retraction ofvibration reduction members 340, which may occur when the controllerreceives information about a status of the patient side cart, as will bediscussed in further detail below.

Vibration reduction members may be configured to minimize or reducevibrations of a patient side cart and in view of additionalconsiderations. Bottom surfaces 341 of vibration reduction members 340may be substantially flat, according to an exemplary embodiment, such asto maximize contact area between vibration reduction members 340 andground surface 350. According to an exemplary embodiment, an edge 342 ofbottom surface 341 may be rounded, such as to minimize or eliminatemarking of ground surface 350 with vibration reduction members 340. Asshown in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2, vibration reduction members240, 340 may have a cylindrical shape, although the vibration reductionmembers of the various exemplary embodiments described herein may haveother shapes, such as, for example, a square shape cross-section,rectangular shape cross-section, or other shapes familiar to one ofordinary skill in the art. Vibration reduction members 340 may have adiameter or width 344 ranging, for example, from about 1 inch to about 3inches, for example from about 1.5 inches to about 2 inches. Vibrationreduction members 340 may be configured to fully retract within base302, such as to maximize an amount of clearance between base 302 andground surface 350. The vibration reduction members of a patient sidecart may also be located within a base of the patient side cart tominimize or eliminate interaction with a user. For example, as shown inthe exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2, vibration reduction members 240 maybe located away from an outer edge 203 of base 202 to minimize oreliminate vibration reduction members 240 being deployed onto a person'sfoot. Vibration reduction members 240 may also be positioned within base202 to facilitate reduction of vibrations, such as closer to a peripheryof base 202, according to an exemplary embodiment. Thus, positions ofvibration reduction members 240 may be selected in view of theseconsiderations.

Vibration reduction members may be biased to a retracted position tofacilitate retraction of vibration reduction members, such as when apatient side cart is to be moved from one location to another, accordingto an exemplary embodiment. Turning to FIG. 5, a partial side view isshown of a vibration reduction member 440 in a base 402 of a patientside cart. Vibration reduction member 440 may be used, for example asvibration reduction members 240 and 340 in the exemplary embodiments ofFIGS. 2-4. A biasing device may be provided to bias vibration reductionmember 440 to a retracted position, such as upward along direction 446away from a ground surface 450 in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 5. Abiasing device may be, for example, a spring 444 that provides a biasingforce to bias vibration reduction member 440 to the retracted position.Although the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 5 depicts a single biasingdevice (e.g., spring 444) for vibration reduction member 440, thevarious exemplary embodiments described herein may include other numbersof biasing devices, such as, for example, two, three, four, or morebiasing devices.

Further, other biasing devices other than spring 444 that are familiarto one of ordinary skill in the art may be used in the various exemplaryembodiments described herein. For example, piston-cylinder device 430 inFIG. 5 is configured to provide hydraulic pressure on either side of apiston (not shown), such as via a double piston-cylinder arrangement.With such an arrangement, vibration reduction member 440 can be deployeddownward along direction 446 toward ground surface 450 by applyinghydraulic pressure on one side of the piston and can be retracted alongdirection 446 away from ground surface 450 by applying hydraulicpressure on another side of the piston.

A vibration reduction member may include an actuation device to deploythe vibration reduction member. When a vibration reduction memberincludes a biasing device, such as spring 444, the deployment device maybe configured to overcome the force applied by the biasing device so thevibration reduction member may be moved to the deployed position.According to an exemplary embodiment, a hydraulic pressure system may beused to overcome the force applied by a biasing device and deploy avibration reduction member. The hydraulic pressure system may include,for example, a pump to supply hydraulic fluid to an actuator for avibration reduction member, with the pressure of the hydraulic fluidsupplied to the actuator overcoming the biasing force and deploying thevibration reduction member. As shown in the exemplary embodiment of FIG.5, pump 410 may be provided to supply hydraulic pressure to apiston-cylinder device 430, which functions as an actuator for vibrationreduction member 440. As pump 410 supplies hydraulic fluid topiston-cylinder device 430, the pressure of the hydraulic fluid causespiston-cylinder device 430 to overcome the force provided by spring 444,which results in vibration reduction member 440 being deployed, such asdownward along direction 446 so vibration reduction member 440 contactsground surface 450. Thus, a controller (not shown in FIG. 5) to controlthe deployment and retraction of vibration reduction member 440 mayissue commands to pump 410 to cause vibration reduction member 440 to bedeployed.

To retract a vibration reduction member, an actuation device configuredto deploy a vibration reduction member may be deactivated, or the forceprovided by the device otherwise ceased, to permit retraction of thevibration reduction member, according to an exemplary embodiment. When abiasing device is used to retract a vibration reduction member,deactivation of the deployment device may permit the biasing device toreturn the vibration reduction member to its retracted position. In theexemplary embodiment of FIG. 5, the hydraulic pressure system mayfurther comprise a release valve 420 to release the pressure supplied topiston-cylinder device 430, permitting spring 444 to move vibrationreduction member 440 along direction 446 to its retracted position.According to an exemplary embodiment, release valve 420 may be actuatedby the controller configured to control the deployment and retraction ofvibration reduction member 440 so the deployment and actuation ofvibration reduction member 440 may be actuated by the controller.Release valve 420 may also be manually actuated by a user, such as whenvibration reduction member 440 needs to be retracted to facilitatemovement of a patient side cart, according to an exemplary embodiment.According to another exemplary embodiment, an actuation deviceconfigured to deploy a vibration reduction member may be actuated toretract a vibration reduction member, such as by reducing the forceapplied to the vibration reduction member by the actuation device,instead of deactivating the actuation device or ceasing the forceapplied by the actuation device.

As discussed above, a hydraulic pressure system may be provided toactuate deployment of the one or more vibration reduction members of apatient side cart. According to an exemplary embodiment, a singlehydraulic circuit may be used for all of the vibration reduction membersof a patient side cart. Turning to FIG. 6, a hydraulic pressure system500 is schematically shown in a base 502 of a patient side cart.Hydraulic pressure system 500 may be used for the vibration reductionmembers of the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 2-5 described above. Asshown in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 6, hydraulic pressure system500 may comprise a pump 510 and a release valve 520 (which may beconfigured according to pump 410 and release valve 410 of the exemplaryembodiment of FIG. 5) connected to a hydraulic circuit 512. Hydrauliccircuit 512 may be, for example, a single hydraulic circuit connected toevery actuator 530 (e.g., piston-cylinder device 430 of the exemplaryembodiment of FIG. 4, or other vibration reduction member actuator) forrespective vibration reduction members. Thus, a single pump 510 andrelease valve 520 may be used to actuate every vibration reductionmember of a patient side cart. By connecting the actuators 530 for eachvibration reduction member with a single hydraulic circuit 512, a forceequalization effect for the vibration reduction members can be achievedwhen the vibration reduction members are deployed to contact a groundsurface because each actuator 530 is subjected to substantially the samehydraulic pressure from hydraulic circuit 512.

Various exemplary embodiments may include a single hydraulic circuit, asdiscussed above in regard to the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 6.However, the various exemplary embodiments described herein are notlimited to a single hydraulic circuit and may include a plurality ofhydraulic circuits. For example, a base of a patient side cart mayinclude a first hydraulic circuit for the front wheels of the cart and asecond hydraulic circuit for the rear wheels of the cart. In anotherexample, a base of a patient side cart may include a separate hydrauliccircuit for each vibration reduction member of the base.

A hydraulic pressure system may include a sensor to monitor thehydraulic pressure of the system. As shown in the exemplary embodimentof FIG. 6, hydraulic pressure system 500 may include a regulation device550 connected to hydraulic circuit 512 to regulate the hydraulicpressure of hydraulic circuit 512. Regulation device 550 may be, forexample, a switch connected to pump 510 that deactivates pump 510 once apredetermined pressure has been reached, according to an exemplaryembodiment. In another exemplary embodiment, regulation device 550 maybe a sensor to monitor the hydraulic pressure and signal pump 510 todeactivate when a predetermined maximum pressure has been reached ordetermine if a leak has occurred, as manifested by a loss of hydraulicpressure. When this occurs, the controller to control the deployment andretraction of vibration reduction members may provide a notification toa user of a patient side cart, such as a visual and/or audionotification, although other types of notifications are contemplatedwithout departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

According to an exemplary embodiment, hydraulic circuit 512 may includea device to control the pressure of hydraulic circuit 512 shouldregulation device 550 not function properly. For instance, a device mayprevent the hydraulic pressure from exceeding a predetermined maximumhydraulic pressure so hydraulic pressure system 500 does not supplyexcessive pressure to actuators 530, which could lead to vibrationreduction members moving or even lifting a patient side cart. Such adevice may be, for example, a relief valve (not shown in FIG. 6) thatautomatically releases hydraulic pressure when the predetermined maximumhydraulic pressure for the relief valve has been attained, such as whenregulation device 550 is not functioning properly.

Although exemplary embodiments have been described above as including ahydraulic pressure system as a device to actuate deployment of vibrationreduction members, other devices and systems may be used in the variousexemplary embodiments described herein to deploy vibration reductionmembers. For example, electric motors and other actuators familiar toone of ordinary skill in the art may be used to deploy vibrationreduction members in the various exemplary embodiments described herein.

As discussed above with regard to the exemplary embodiments of FIGS.2-6, a patient side cart may include a controller to control thedeployment and retraction of vibration reduction members. Such a systemmay be useful to automatically deploy and retract vibration reductionmembers because a user may forget to deploy the vibration reductionmembers for a surgical procedure to reduce vibrations or forget toretract the vibration reduction members to facilitate movement of thecart, such as once a surgical procedure has been completed. Automaticdeployment of the vibration reduction members of a patient side cart maybe actuated by the controller, for example, when a first event hasoccurred and automatic retraction of the vibration reduction members maybe actuated by the controller, for example, when a second event hasoccurred, according to an exemplary embodiment.

According to an exemplary embodiment, a controller to control thedeployment and retraction of a vibration reduction member may receive asignal from a sensor monitoring the retraction/deployment state of thevibration reduction member. The sensor may be, for example, a pressuresensor connected to a hydraulic circuit, such as hydraulic circuit 512,of the actuation device for the vibration reduction member that detectswhen a pressure of the circuit is high, which indicates deployment ofthe vibration reduction member. In another example, the sensor may be aposition sensor that directly detects the movement and/or position of avibration reduction member. In another example, the sensor may be acontact sensor located on a bottom surface of a vibration reductionmember so that when the vibration reduction member contacts a groundsurface the sensor is activated and issues a signal to the controller.

Because it may be desirable to deploy vibration reduction members when apatient side cart is ready or nearly ready for a surgical procedure andto retract the vibration reduction members when the surgical procedurehas finished, the first and second events may be related to preparingthe patient side cart before and after the surgical procedure. Accordingto an exemplary embodiment, the first event to trigger automaticdeployment of the one or more vibration reduction members of a patientside cart by the controller may be, for example, mounting a cannula to amanipulator arm of the patient side cart, such as by mounting a cannula(not shown) to cannula mount 124 of manipulator arm 110 (or any ofmanipulator arms 110-113) in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1. Cannulamounts 124 in manipulator arms 110-113 may include one or more sensorsto detect the type and/or presence of a cannula mounted to a respectivecannula mount of a manipulator arm. For example, a signal from a sensorused to identify what type of cannula has been mounted to a manipulatorarm can be used to detect the presence of a cannula mounted to arespective arm. Such a sensor is, for example, a sensor as described inInternational PCT Application No. PCT/US2015/020913 (now published as WO2015/142812), filed on a date even herewith and claiming priority toU.S. Provisional Application No. 61/954,318 (entitled “Surgical Cannulasand Related Systems and Methods of Identifying Surgical Cannulas”),filed on Mar. 17, 2014, each of which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

According to another exemplary embodiment, a sensor to detect thepresence of a cannula mounted to a respective arm can be configured as alatch position sensor. A latch position sensor can be configured todetect when a latch used to mount a cannula has been actuated, such asby detecting movement of one or more components of the latch. Oneexample of a suitable sensor that can be used to detect such movementincludes a photo-interrupt sensor, although those having ordinary skillin the art would appreciate various other types of sensors that could beused to detect movement of the latch.

According to an exemplary embodiment, a plurality of sensors may be usedto detect the presence of a cannula mounted to a respective arm, such asto avoid a false positive reading that could lead to unintendeddeployment the one or more vibration reduction members. For example, acontroller may be configured to deploy the one or more vibrationreduction members when signals have been received from more than onecannula presence sensor, such as, for example, from both the cannulapresence/identification sensor and the latch position sensor.

Output from one or more sensors used to detect the presence of a cannulamay be provided to the controller controlling the deployment andretraction of vibration reduction member(s) so the controller maydetermine when a cannula has been first mounted to a manipulator arm andthe vibration reduction members should be deployed. The second event totrigger automatic retraction of the one or more vibration reductionmembers of a patient side cart by the controller may be, for example,removing the last cannula mounted to the manipulator arms of the patientside cart. For instance, the controller may receive signals from thesensors of cannula mounts 124 of the various manipulator arms 110-113,determine that only one cannula remains mounted to arms 110-113, andthen automatically retract the vibration reduction members when the lastcannula has been removed, which may represent that the patient side cartis ready or nearly ready to be moved after finishing a surgicalprocedure.

Although the various exemplary embodiments described herein may includea controller that automatically deploys and retracts vibration reductionmember(s) according to the first and second events described above,other events may be used for the first and second events. For example,the first event could be the occurrence of mounting a second cannula tothe manipulator arms of a patient side cart, the occurrence of mountinga third cannula, or other event. According to another exemplaryembodiment, an event could be the actuation or release of a dead manswitch in the steering interface 230 of FIG. 2. Exemplary embodiments ofdead man switches are described in U.S. App. Pub. No. US 2014/0316654A1, published Oct. 23, 2014, which claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/791,924, filed Mar. 15, 2013, each of which isincorporated by reference herein. Release of a dead man switch insteering interface 230 may represent that movement of the patient sidecart is finished and the cart will be prepared for a surgical procedure.Thus, the controller may deploy vibration reduction member(s) when thisevent occurs. Similarly, actuation of the dead man switch may representthat a surgical procedure has finished and the patient side cart isready for movement. Thus, the controller may retract the vibrationreduction member(s).

According to an exemplary embodiment, the controller to control thedeployment and retraction of the vibration reduction member(s) of apatient side cart may retract the vibration reduction member(s) in twostages to facilitate movement of the patient side cart in a short timeperiod. In a first stage, vibration reduction member(s) may be retractedfrom a ground surface by the controller. The first stage may occur, forexample, in about one second or less. In a second stage, the vibrationreduction member(s) may continue to be retracted to a fully retractedposition but movement of the patient side cart may be permitted becausealthough the vibration reduction member(s) are still being retracted,the vibration reduction member(s) are no longer in contact with theground surface.

During use of a patient side cart, it is possible for a system error tooccur that may be cleared by a user. One method of clearing an error isto power cycle the patient side cart. According to an exemplaryembodiment, when such a power cycle occurs, the controller to controldeployment and retraction of the vibration reduction member(s) of thepatient side cart may be configured to maintain the vibration reductionmember(s) in a deployed position so the vibration reduction member(s)remain in contact with a ground surface during the power cycle so thevibration reduction member(s) may facilitate reduction of vibration evenduring the power cycle. The controller may be configured in this way byreceiving signals, for example, from the sensors of cannula mountsindicating that cannulas are still mounted and also receivingnotification that a user has commanded the power cycle, according to anexemplary embodiment.

Turning to FIG. 7, a schematic flowchart is provided for an exemplaryembodiment of controlling the vibration reduction member(s) of a patientside cart to be deployed. The various exemplary embodiments of vibrationreduction members described herein may be deployed, such as via thecontroller to control deployment and retraction, according to theexemplary embodiment of FIG. 7. In a first step 600, the vibrationreduction member(s) are in a retracted position. The control processproceeds to step 610, in which a command is provided, such as via thecontroller, to deploy the vibration reduction member(s). When adeployment device for the vibration reduction member(s) includes thehydraulic pressure system described above with regard to the exemplaryembodiments of FIGS. 2-6, the pressure of the hydraulic pressure systemmay be low in the state of step 610. In step 610, the deployment maycommence by actuating a pump of the hydraulic pressure system, such aspump 410 or 510 of the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 5 and 6. Accordingto an exemplary embodiment, the controller may monitor the pump, such asto determine whether the pump is receiving power. If the pump is notreceiving power within a predetermined time, the process may return tostep 600, as shown by step 618 in FIG. 7.

When the pump is receiving power, the process proceeds to step 620, inwhich the pump is actuated. According to an exemplary embodiment, thecontroller may monitor the pump and/or hydraulic circuit to determinewhether the pressure is increasing. If the pressure does not increasewithin a predetermined time, the process may return to step 600, such asvia step 622 in FIG. 7. When the pressure is increasing, the processproceeds to step 630, in which a desired pressure has been attained andthe controller issues a command to cease power to the pump. If the powerto the pump is not deactivated within a predetermined time, thecontroller may command a release valve, such as release valve 420 or 520of FIGS. 5 and 6, to open to release the hydraulic pressure and returnthe process to step 600, such as via step 632 in FIG. 7. Once the powerto the pump has been successfully deactivated, the process may finish atstep 640, in which the vibration reduction member(s) have been deployed.The deployment process may follow a different route than describedabove, according to an exemplary embodiment. For example, the processmay proceed along step 602 from step 600 to step 640, such as when thehydraulic system is already at a high pressure and a command to deploythe vibration reduction member(s) is the only step required.

According to an exemplary embodiment, when the vibration reductionmember(s) of a patient side cart have been deployed, the driven wheelsof the patient side cart may also be locked, such as to facilitateimmobilization of the patient side cart during a surgical procedure. Forexample, locks within motors 211 and 213 for driven wheels 210 and 212of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2 may be engaged when the vibrationreduction member(s) of a patient side cart have been deployed.

Turning to FIG. 8, a schematic flowchart is provided for an exemplaryembodiment of controlling the vibration reduction member(s) of a patientside cart to be retracted. The various exemplary embodiments ofvibration reduction members described herein may be retracted, such asvia the controller to control deployment and retraction, according tothe exemplary embodiment of FIG. 8. In a first step 700, the vibrationreduction member(s) are in a deployed position. The control processproceeds to step 710, in which a command is provided, such as via thecontroller, to retract the vibration reduction member(s). According toan exemplary embodiment, a release valve, such as release valve 420 or520 of FIGS. 5 and 6, is actuated to release hydraulic pressure withinthe hydraulic pressure system. As a result, a biasing device, such asspring 444 in FIG. 5, may apply a biasing force to move the vibrationreduction member(s) to the retracted position.

The process of FIG. 8 may proceed to step 720, in which the vibrationreduction member(s) begin to retract. Step 720 may be, for example, thefirst stage of deployment discussed above in which the vibrationreduction member(s) begin to retract. The process may proceed to step730, in which the vibration reduction member(s) are partially retracted,such as, for example, in about one second or less between step 720 andstep 730, which permits the patient side cart to be moved while thevibration reduction member(s) continue to retract. The process proceedsto step 740, in which power is deactivated to the release valve,permitting the release valve to close in preparation for the nextdeployment of the vibration reduction member(s). Finally, in step 750,the vibration reduction member(s) may be in a fully retracted state.According to an exemplary embodiment, the controller may monitor thestatus of the release valve and proceed directly to step 750 from step710, such as via step 712, if the power actuating the release valve isnot ceased within a predetermined time. Although the exemplaryembodiment of FIG. 8 has been discussed with regard to retracting avibration reduction member by actuating a release valve, the variousexemplary embodiments described herein may use other methods ofretracting a vibration reduction member, such as, for example, actuatingan actuation device (e.g., hydraulic pressure circuit) to reduce theforce applied by the actuation device instead of ceasing the force ordeactivating the actuation device.

It may be desirable to provide a patient side cart with a manual releasedevice to manually retract the vibration reduction member(s) of thepatient side cart, such as when a user wishes to retract the vibrationreduction member(s) and quickly move the patient side cart. Turning toFIG. 9, an exemplary embodiment of a manual release system isschematically depicted. As shown in FIG. 9, a handle or lever 800 may beprovided for a user to actuate and manually retract vibration reductionmember(s). Although handle 800 is shown in the exemplary embodiment ofFIG. 9, the various exemplary embodiments described herein may use othermanual actuation devices. Handle 800 may be connected to a pin 804, forexample, so that handle 800 may rotate in direction 802 about pin 804 tothe position shown in FIG. 10.

Actuation of handle 800 may actuate a release valve to permit vibrationreduction member(s) to be retracted. According to an exemplaryembodiment, linkage 810 may be connected to handle 800 so that whenhandle 800 is manually actuated in direction 802, linkage 810 is movedalong direction 812. According to an exemplary embodiment, linkage 810may be connected to, or include, a cam block 822 configured to engage arelease valve 820 of a hydraulic pressure system, such as release valve420 or 520 of the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 5 and 6. Thus, whenlinkage 810 is moved in direction 812, a cam surface 823 of cam block822 may engage release valve 820, forcing release valve 820 alongdirection 821 in FIG. 10 to an open position, which releases thepressure in the hydraulic system and permits vibration reductionmember(s) to be retracted, as described in the exemplary embodimentsabove.

As described above, driven wheels of a patient side cart may beimmobilized when vibration reduction member(s) are deployed tofacilitate immobilization of the patient side cart. Actuation of themanual release device (e.g., handle 800) may unlock the driven wheels,according to an exemplary embodiment. As depicted in FIGS. 9 and 10,linkage 810 may be connected to a member 832 of an electric motor 830for driving a driven wheel (such as, for example, motor 211 or 213 inthe exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2). Thus, when linkage 810 is moved indirection 812, member 832 and electric motor 830 may be rotated alongdirection 834 to a position in which electric motor 830 has beenmanually unlocked, permitting a driven wheel (such as, for example,wheel 210 or 212 in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2) associated withelectric motor 830 to freely rotate. Although linkage 810 is depicted asbeing connected to a single electric motor 830 in the exemplaryembodiment of FIGS. 9 and 10, linkage 810 may be connected to aplurality of electric motors of a patient side cart to unlock each motorand facilitate movement of the cart.

As described above in regard to the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 9 and10, actuation of a manual release device (e.g., handle 800) may place apatient side cart in a neutral state in which the patient side cart isfree to move and vibration reduction member(s) have been retracted, suchas due to the actuation of release valve. To deploy the vibrationreduction member(s) once again and/or lock driven wheel(s) via electricmotor(s), the manual release device may need to be returned to itsinitial state, such as the state of handle 800 in the exemplaryembodiment of FIG. 9. However, it is possible a user may forget toreturn the manual release device to its initial state. Thus, it may bedesirable to provide a means of notifying a user that the manual releasedevice is in an actuated state.

As indicated in FIGS. 9 and 10, handle 800, linkage 810, and otherdevices associated with the manual release device may be housed in acompartment behind a door 840, such as within a base of a patient sidecart. Door 840 may be opened by a user to access handle 800 inside ofthe compartment, such as by swinging door 842 open via hinge 842 indirection 846, as shown in FIG. 9 and in FIG. 11, which depicts aperspective view of door 840 in a closed state relative to a frame 848.According to an exemplary embodiment, a biasing device (not shown), suchas a spring or other biasing device, may bias door 840 to an openposition once door 840 has been moved from the closed position. However,once handle 800 has been actuated to move linkage 810 along direction812, a stop member 844 connected to linkage 810 also moves alongdirection 812 to the position shown in FIGS. 10 and 12. When stop member844 is in the position depicted in FIGS. 10 and 12, stop member 844engages hinge 842 when an attempt is made to shut door 840, preventingdoor 840 from closing against frame 848. In this way, a user may benotified that the manual release device remains in an actuated statebecause the user will be unable to close the door 840 providing accessto the manual release device.

Other notification devices may be used in addition to or besides theexemplary embodiment of FIGS. 9-12. According to an exemplaryembodiment, a sensor may be provided to detect when a manual releasedevice (e.g., handle 800) is in an actuated state. A signal from thesensor may be used to provide feedback, such as via visual and/or audiofeedback, to user that the manual release device is in an actuatedstate.

Although various exemplary embodiments described below may refer to apatient side cart of a robotic surgical system, those having ordinaryskill in the art would understand how to utilize the carts and vibrationreduction members described herein for other wheeled platforms, such as,for example, imaging equipment, operating tables, and other wheeleddevices.

Providing a patient side cart with vibration reduction member(s)facilitates reduction of vibrations occurring in the patient side cartand surgical instruments mounted to the patient side cart. The vibrationreduction member(s) may be deployed or retracted relative to a groundsurface to facilitate reduction of the vibrations and movement of thepatient side cart. Further, the patient side cart may include acontroller to control deployment and retraction of the vibrationreduction member(s) to facilitate automatic deployment and retraction ofthe vibration reduction member(s) without requiring commands from auser.

Exemplary embodiments, including the various operational methodsdescribed herein, can be implemented in computing hardware (computingapparatus) and/or software, such as (in a non-limiting example) anycomputer that can store, retrieve, process and/or output data and/orcommunicate with other computers. The results produced can be displayedon a display of the computing hardware. One or more programs/softwarecomprising algorithms to affect the various responses and signalprocessing in accordance with various exemplary embodiments of thepresent disclosure can be implemented by a processor, such as datainterface module, of or in conjunction with the control cart includingcore processor and may be recorded on computer-readable media includingcomputer-readable recording and/or storage media. Examples of thecomputer-readable recording media include a magnetic recordingapparatus, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, and/or asemiconductor memory (for example, RAM, ROM, etc.). Examples of themagnetic recording apparatus include a hard disk device (HDD), aflexible disk (FD), and a magnetic tape (MT). Examples of the opticaldisk include a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a DVD-RAM, a CD-ROM(Compact Disc-Read Only Memory), and a CD-R (Recordable)/RW.

Further modifications and alternative embodiments will be apparent tothose of ordinary skill in the art in view of the disclosure herein. Forexample, the devices, systems, and methods may include additionalcomponents or steps that were omitted from the diagrams and descriptionfor clarity of operation. Accordingly, this description is to beconstrued as illustrative only and is for the purpose of teaching thoseskilled in the art the general manner of carrying out the presentdisclosure. It is to be understood that the various embodiments shownand described herein are to be taken as exemplary. Elements andmaterials, and arrangements of those elements and materials, may besubstituted for those illustrated and described herein, parts andprocesses may be reversed, and certain features of the present teachingsmay be utilized independently, all as would be apparent to one skilledin the art after having the benefit of the description herein. Changesmay be made in the elements described herein without departing from thescope of the present disclosure and following claims.

It is to be understood that the particular examples and embodiments setforth herein are non-limiting, and modifications to structure,dimensions, materials, and methodologies may be made without departingfrom the scope of the present disclosure.

Other embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure will beapparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of thespecification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It isintended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplaryonly, with being entitled to their full breadth of scope, includingequivalents by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of operating a surgical cart configuredto support a medical instrument during a medical procedure of ateleoperated surgical system, the method comprising: moving astabilization device relative to a base of the surgical cart from aretracted position to a deployed position, wherein a stabilizationsurface of the stabilization device is in contact with a ground surfaceon which the surgical cart is supported in the deployed position of thestabilization device and wherein the stabilization surface is spacedfrom the ground surface in the retracted position of the stabilizationdevice; and overcoming a biasing force while moving the stabilizationdevice from the retracted position to the deployed position, the biasingforce biasing the stabilization device toward the retracted position. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein the biasing force is exerted on thestabilization device by a spring.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinmoving the stabilization device comprises moving the stabilizationdevice by actuating a motor operably coupled to the stabilizationdevice.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein moving the stabilizationdevice from the retracted position to the deployed position comprisesmoving the stabilization device from a position wherein thestabilization device is fully retracted relative to a bottom surface ofthe base.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising actuating amanual release device operably coupled to the stabilization device tomove the stabilization device from the deployed position to theretracted position.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method furthercomprises moving the stabilization device to move from the deployedposition to the retracted position by moving a cam surface.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the stabilization device is one of aplurality of stabilization devices; and the method further comprisesmoving each of the plurality of stabilization devices from the retractedposition to the deployed position.
 8. The method of claim 7, whereinmoving each of the plurality of stabilization devices from the retractedposition to the deployed position comprises actuating movement of eachof the plurality of stabilization devices via an actuation device. 9.The method of claim 7, wherein moving each of the plurality ofstabilization devices comprises individually actuating movement of eachof the plurality of stabilization devices via a respective actuationdevice of a plurality of actuation devices.
 10. The method of claim 7,further comprising, prior to moving the stabilization device to thedeployed position, moving the surgical cart along the ground surface viaone or more motorized wheels and one or more non-motorized wheels. 11.The method of claim 10, wherein in the deployed position of thestabilization device, the one or more motorized wheels and the one ormore non-motorized wheels are in contact with the ground surface. 12.The method of claim 1, wherein the surgical cart is moveable via wheelsalong the ground surface and the method further comprises locking thewheels to immobilize the surgical cart in the deployed position of thestabilization device.
 13. A method of operating a surgical cartconfigured to support a medical instrument during a computer-assistedmedical procedure, the method comprising: placing the surgical cart in afirst operational mode; and: in response to placing the surgical cart inthe first operational mode, causing an actuation device to move astabilization device relative to a base of the surgical cart from aretracted position to a deployed position, wherein, in the deployedposition, the stabilization device is in contact with the ground surfaceon which the surgical cart is supported, and wherein in the retracedposition, the stabilization device is not in contact with the groundsurface.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: receivinginformation at a controller that the surgical cart is in a firstconfiguration; and in response to receiving information that thesurgical cart is in the first configuration, outputting a controlcommand from the controller, the control command causing the surgicalcart to be placed in the first operational mode.
 15. The method of claim14, wherein: the first configuration corresponds to preparation of thesurgical cart for a surgical procedure.
 16. The method of claim 13,further comprising exerting a biasing force on the stabilization devicetoward the retracted position.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein thebiasing force is exerted using a spring operably coupled to thestabilization device.
 18. The method of claim 13, wherein: thestabilization device is one of a plurality of stabilization devices; andthe method further comprises causing the actuation device to move theplurality of stabilization devices from the retracted position to thedeployed position in response to the surgical cart being placed in thefirst operational mode.
 19. The method of claim 13, wherein in theretraced position, the stabilization device is fully retracted relativeto a bottom surface of the base of the surgical cart.